Reply by crank49

Air bags.A 12” diameter air bag exerts 12,400 lb of force at 110 psi.A row of 8 bags could be arranged to push a big caul along one side of a bench/table top glue-up.That would be 99,525 lbs of force applied over an 8 ft length.And the units could all be piped together so you would only need one valve to control it.

May be a little spendy; the bags are between $200 and $800 each.The structural frame will be a couple grand at least.